Abia community groans over abandoned health centre rotting away for years

By Ugochukwu Alaribe

Indigenes and residents of Ntighauzo Amairi Community in Obingwa local government council of Abia State have decried the dilapidated state of their Comprehensive Health Centre, which has turned to a permanent home for reptiles and other wild animals.

The Health Centre, built through communal efforts by the ten villages of the community and commissioned by the Governor of old Imo State, Chief Sam Onunaka Mbakwe in 1983, is today a shadow of itself as the buildings, including the staff quarters, have been overgrown with weeds.

Over six gigantic buildings, including the doctors’ quarters, which was yet to be completed, now serve as abodes for lizards, rats and other bush animals who have found comfort in the expansive complex.
The staff quarters has been overgrown with weeds while the roofs have been blown off, even as a part of the adjoining office blocks shows signs of great decay.

One of the buildings presently hosts a magistrate court while the Ahia Orie market has encroached into the hospital’s land.

South East Voice gathered that the Comprehensive Health Centre, Ntighauzo, which has been abandoned, served as the first port of call for the health needs of the community and its neighbours such as Abala, Akpaa Mbato, Ibeme, Umuokereke-Ngwa, among others.

A resident of the area, who gave his name as Chidi Sunday, told SEV that the dilapidated state of the health centre stems from years of neglect by successive Abia state government, particularly the local government administrations of Obingwa council, except in 1999 to 2003 during the tenure of Chief Isaac Ogbonna.

He said: “The health centre has long been neglected by the successive local and state governments. While it was functional, it was really of great help to us, particularly our pregnant women and nursing mothers who daily visited the maternity section. But today, it is lying waste and abandoned due to government neglect.

“There was a time nurses and midwives lived in the staff quarters, but they have all left. We are appealing to the state government not to allow this Health Centre to continue to rot away.”

Another resident, Mrs. Chioma Ogbonna, stated that the condition of the health centre became worse since the death of the wife of the traditional ruler of the community, Ugoeze Uduko, who, as a retired midwife, greatly supported the centre.

Ogbonna recalled what she described as the golden era of the Health Centre when the staff and midwife lived at their quarters, and the maternity section was working day and night.

She said: “I am telling you that I had my second child in this Health Centre when it was working. It is unfortunate that the place has been allowed to die.”

Mrs. Ogbonna, who operates a chemist shop in Aba, lamented that Obingwa Local Council, which is in charge of the Health Centre, has not done much to its upkeep.

Another resident of the community, a trader at the Orie market beside the Health Centre who declined to have his name on print, blamed the Obingwa council for the poor state of the facility, adding that the workers who were posted to the centre left because of its dilapidated condition.

“The nurses who were working at the centre left because of its dilapidated condition. The place is only fit for reptiles and other wild animals. The only time this Health Centre came back to life was the last three years when one Chioma Umunnakwe was the midwife here. She did a lot to revive the Health Centre, and workers returned to live at the staff quarters until she left. You can see that the center has has become a thick bush with dilapidated buildings.”

As at the time of filing this report, efforts to contact the Mayor of Obingwa council, Hon. Maxwell Nwadike, were unsuccessful.

Also, attempts to get the reaction of the traditional ruler of the community, Eze (Sir) Isreal Uduko, proved abortive as security men at the gate of his residence said the monarch was not in seat.